AUS-ROTTEN

“The System Works For Them” LP

-FINALLY RE-ISSUED AFTER 20 YEARS!-

Originally pressed in 1996 PROFANE EXISTENCE is bringing this quintessential anarcho punk masterpiece back in circulation.

All original artwork (label logos updated) with three different vinyl color options.

In 1996 AUS-ROTTEN released their first LP “The System Works For Them” on an unsuspecting punk scene. It spread like wildfire in a pre internet era within a genre that mostly depended on tape trading. (at least is was pre internet for us penniless punks) “The System Works For Them” was the perfect mix of anger and intelligence that the scene needed at the time (and still does today). It was like a wake up call that opened the eyes and ears to many punks the world over. The messages where crystal clear and most us were hooked as soon as the beginning shouts of “Boycott” bellowed over the speakers. I don’t believe any of us ever expected their message to resonate so well within the scene, but even more surprising is how the songs are just as relevant today as on they the day they were written. Which is why PROFANE EXISTENCE has decided to repress this record. We feel that that messages that AUS-ROTTEN brought to the table are to powerful to ignore. We feel that this LP is important and therefore should be highly available and priced affordably.

“The Battlefield Is Still Red” Bloodsplatter Edition.

PROFANE EXISTENCE has worked out every last detail of this release with the members of AUS-ROTTEN whom have been involved from step one. All tracks have been re-masted by Jay Matherson at the Jamroom studios. To be 100% honest we didn’t want to do a complete re-master of what we already considered a good recording. However when we opened the tracks on protools we noticed a few balance issues that required fixing. These fixes resulted in a tremendous upgrade to the overall quality of the tracks. We painstakingly scanned, puzzled, and photoshopped the original artwork to make sure that it was as close to authentic as it could possible be. We then went for broke by pressing in three different vinyl color combinations! Overall to say that we are pumped to release this would be an understatement, we are absolutely ecstatic to bring you this LP on PROFANE EXISTENCE!

“What Good Is Money, When There Is No One Left To Buy” T-shirt.

To top this all off we worked with AUS-ROTTEN vocalist Dave Trenga on redrawing the classic “What Good Is Money, When There Is No One Left To Buy” design for a T-Shirt to concede with the albums release. This is a fresh take on an old image to create a new and original design.

See through “Smoke” vinyl. Available at SKULLFEST/ PROFANE EXISTENCE 27th anniverseray party / record release show.

SILENCE

The Deafening Sound of Absolutely Nothing LP

Silence are a highly active post-punk/peace-punk band from Pittsburgh, PA. “The Deafening Sound of Absolutely Nothing” strives (and succeeds) to achieve the perfect balance between peace and post punk. By taking influences from The Mob, Bauhaus, Zounds, Killing Joke, Amebix, Crass, Conflict, Internal Autonomy and Joy Division SILENCE have created what can only be described a brilliant debut LP. At one moment this record is dark, heavy, and atmospheric and then the next moment it makes you want to dance and sing along. Lyrically SILENCE are much closer to the anarcho side of the previously listed influences. Lyrics focus on a variety of topics but often have a strong focus on the way punk and activist communities deal with political struggle in our current political climate.

“The Deafening Sound of Absolutely Nothing” comes with a 16 page magazine size zine containing lyrics, personal writings and song explanations. Designed, printed and assembled by the band themselves in true D.I.Y. fashion.

Silence will be having a record release show in their hometown of Pittsburgh PA at the Rock Room Friday April 22nd with SHADOW AGE and SKELETON HANDS. Then later this month SILENCE will embark on a full United States tour to support “The Deafening Sound of Absolutely Nothing”. Here is a list of dates. Be show to check in with the bands “bandcamp” or “Facebook” page for show updates.

LISTEN TO THE TRACK “WAR DRUMS” HERE.

When all that remains is a world in flames. Is that when they’ll say the wars are finally won? That wars are finally done?

They’re beating on the drums again, they’re fueling up the planes. The congressmen fall into line and sing the old refrain. In the name of peace they’ll burn the land and drop a thousand bombs.

Meanwhile we’ll just stay at home and go back to our sitcoms. It’s the same old song, we’ve heard it before. They’re beating the drums and they’re calling for war. What it’s supposed to accomplish, no one is sure But the victims are always the hungry and the poor.

Once the drums of war begin it’s hard to make them stop. The noise silences the dissidents once the bombs begin to drop. All those who call for peace will be mocked and pushed aside. In 10 years they’ll admit we were right after many thousands more have died.

Finally after many delays from the pressing plant the WARWOUND Demo’s LP “A Huge Black Cloud” is out and copies are moving fast!

Recorded in 1983, this record contains 15 songs from 3 sessions. With a few different takes you get a total of 25 blistering tracks. For those unfamiliar with WARWOUND, they are a UK band formed in 82. WARWOUND recorded 3 demos in 83 before disbanding and members went on to join THE VARUKERS and form SACRILEGE. These demos never received an official release… until now! Highly influenced by DISCHARGE, WARWOUND is one of the first bands ever to take D-Beat Punk to a raw and intense level. Recently reformed in 2015, original guitarist Damian is now joined by Ian Glasper on bass and Rat Varuker on vocals. After a few gigs in the UK word is spreading fast of the relentless onslaught of a live show these veterans put on. WARWOUND have also recently hit the studio to record for the first time in over 30 years. Needless to say WARWOUND is back with a vengeance!

The new web store is up.

Yes! Finally, after what turned out to be a gigantic task of moving the PROFANE EXISTENCE distro from Minneapolis to Denver, transferring tons of data, and rebuilding the web store, we are finally set to open back up. To access the new store follow one of the many links from profaneexistence.com or access it directly at http://profaneexistence.storenvy.com

The first official PROFANE EXISTENCE title of 2015 is out and ready for order! We are proud to bring you the RIFLE DIET – “NO SOLACE”LP

Rifle Diet’s No Solace is a 12in 45 that combines the Classic Minneapolis crust sound with Swedish hardcore, D-beat and Epic crust (think somewhere between Servitude and Wolfbirgade, with hints of Tragedy and Fall of Efrafa). The beautiful cover art by Hannah Benoche sets a bleak mood for the dark music within, plus a cover of His Hero is a Gone – Chain of Command (ex-members of InDefence and Garmonbozia) This LP is a joint release between PROFANE EXISTENCE and BLOOD OF THE YOUNG RECORDS

To honor both the opening of the new store and our first release of 2015, we are giving a free copy of the RIFLE DIET – No Solace lp to everyone that spends more then $50 from Monday January 12th to Monday January 19th!!! This deal is for one week only. DO NOT MISS OUT!

*Note*Rifle Diet are playing a record release show 1/17/15 at the Dogplex in Minneapolis with Kontrasekt, Aziza, and Fucking. To coincide with that show all orders that contain the RIFLE DIET – No Solace lp will be shipped out on Monday January 12th.

The next release in the works is the new full length lp from APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT – “We Don’t Need Them”.

We Don’t Need Them is the second full-length record from West Virginia punx Appalachian Terror Unit. ATU have become known throughout the years as being one of the most politically charged bands in the current punk scene. This new record is an all out attack on today’s society that takes ATU to a new level of intensity both lyrically and musically. The combination of the beautiful and thought provoking gatefold cover art designed by Stivart along with the brilliant recording and mastering job by Jay Matheson at the Jam Room take this record even further. Song subjects include the horrors of war, police brutality, destruction of the environment, rape culture, consumerism and much more. Expect a very heavy and much angrier approach from a band that has been around the block and matured their sound. Seven raging new tunes including the epic fourteen and a half minute track “We Don’t Need Them”, a song that will one day be ranked among similar greats as the SUBHUMANS “From the Cradle to the Grave” and AUS ROTTEN “And Now Back to Our Programming”.

APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT – We Don’t Need Them will be pressed in the United States on PROFANE EXISTENCE & in Europe on SKULD /RUIN NATION

WARWOUND – “A Huge Black Cloud-The Demos 1983“

Another record we are very excited about is the upcoming WARWOUND – A Huge Black Cloud-The Demos 1983. Recorded in 1983, this record contains 15 songs from three sessions. With a few different takes you get a total of 25 blistering tracks. For those unfamiliar with WARWOUND they are a UK band formed in 82, and released 2 demos in 83. Members went on to join THE VARUKERS and form the almighty SACRILEGE. Warwound are one of the first bands to take the politics and d-beat influence from DISCHARGE and combine it with the blown out sound of CHAOS UK to achieve total destructive raw d-beat ear bleeding chaos!

WARWOUND – A Huge Black Cloud-The Demos 1983 will be a split release between PROFANE EXISTENCE and ORGANIZE AND ARISE.

Make sure to catch PROFANE EXISTENCE bands ROAC and WAR//PLAGUE at this years crustock 3. Also keep a look out for an APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT West Coast tour of the United States and Canada this July.

KRANG are a new band birthed from Chicago’s DIY punk underbelly. They play a brutally powerful brand of thrashy riff-laden crustcore and have an intense live presence. They have recently recorded for a few vinyl projects, including PE’s own 7″ singles series. Check ’em out!

PE: What’s a brief history of the band and how did you guys form?
Austin: We started circa 2009. We had an additional guitarist: Louis C. He went on to start a blackened crust band called Welkin Dusk, based in Chicago that he plays drums & lead vocals for. We used to have an additional lead singer as well: Hannah B. Hannah was a part of our first two releases: the out of print “Onward Desolation” demo tape, and also the out of print “Bog of Eternal Stenchcore” 7″. Hannah is now the front-woman in a band called Despise, based out of Minneapolis. Our original drummer, Brett, is on the two recordings I mentioned before, as well as our “Sounds of Death” 12″. Brett now drums for a Chicago / northwest Indiana band called Asphixiate. Devan is now our permanent drummer and he will have his first appearance on the “Broken Waves” 7″, released by Profane Existence, which is coming out in June. Devan will also be on our next 12″: “Bad Moon”, which we are writing right now. I, as well as Krang, are totally stoked on Devan and really happy to have them. Devan is active outside of percussion as well with assisting in writing, assistance in lyrical content & structure, and the internet stuff. This line up has been solidified for over a year and is totally fucking Krang! It just works perfectly.

Bog of Eternal Stenchcore 7″

PE: You guys are based out of Chicago. What are your favorite parts of the scene there? What are your least favorite things about Chicago’s scene?
Devan: Chicago’s an interesting place. I feel like the pros and cons are often directly related to one-another. For example, the mere size of the city. There are so many people – new to here, young, old, whatever – that there is basically always something going on and a handful of solid DIY spaces at all times, regardless of whether people leave or places get busted or whatever. The downside is that the physical structure of the city makes it difficult and/or terribly time-consuming to navigate. Especially if you don’t have a car. And even if you do, parking sucks. Anyway, as a result of the city being as segregated as it is, people are often inclined to just stick to what’s going on in their neighborhood and it results in a lack of exposure or attention paid to some really cool things. It’s unfortunate. But then there are some events like the annual Black and Brown Punk Show (shout-out to Monika!) or other fest-type shows where the attendance is crazy and bullshit is minimal. It’s rad.

Sounds of Death LP

Austin: I used to live in CHI. I reside in northwest Indiana (NWI). It’s really close. You can compare it to how close Jersey is to NYC. The rest of the band does live in CHI. My favorite things about Chicago is the “don’t take shit” attitude that at least me and the scene we’re involved with has. We’ll kick you out if your a piece of shit human or kick your ass if we have to. I also like The Void Haus in NWI for gigs. My personal least favorite things are cliques, hype, division, etc… the things that you see in every rather large city, I suppose.
Adam: I love Chicago’s unspoken rule of everyone being down to get down when shit hits the fan and nobody lets bogus comments or derogatory gestures fly. My complaint for the longest time was how there is the same hierarchy that we all hate in daily life at a lot of the gigs. It seems like those “in crowd” wanks have come and gone though, or maybe I just don’t surround myself with such fools anymore. My main complaint, and I know I am sounding super negative, but for such a large city there is a lack of bands playing what I am into personally. There are a lot of great bands doing great things…but that doesn’t necessarily mean I am into them musically. Haha! I have a particular taste and its not being fulfilled. I usually go to shows to hang out and have a good time and just show support but its rare that I actually shit over a band that I see locally. I do really, really get down to Population though. White boy can’t dance but when I see this band I start doing shit I didn’t know I was capable of.
Brendan: Chicago is simultaneously the best & worst place to live; which I’d imagine is a critique most other big-city dwellers share. There is no shortage of great folks, bands, eats, cool nerd-haunts (comic & record collectors rejoice!), and beautiful neighborhoods/communities in which to live. The same is true for all of the awful yuppies, gold cost bourgeois, & assholes who get your friends hooked on hard drugs. A lot of the time I wish that I lived in a vast expanse of lush nature with no human presence save myself. When I’m not wishing for seclusion, I’m loving how hard of a time I have sorting out which of the 5 awesome punk shows I get to go see any given night. Chicago has everything I love & hate at once; most of the time its worth it.

PE: Musically what are you guys going for?
Devan: I’d say sincerity, first and foremost. In sound, words, and delivery. And the connections we can and have made with people based on that. My musician’s answer would be just to write the best songs we can and perform them at the highest level at all times.
Austin: I just want to stick out and be a little different sounding. I still want to have that essential formula for great punk. I personally believe we found the introduction to our sound with the “Sounds of Death” 12″. We have two formulas: triumphant, galloping crust metal and simplified, pissed off, to-the-point stuff.
Brendan: Initially we formed with the idea of writing over the top odes to crust circa late 80’s/early 90’s; stuff you could flail your overgrown dreadlocks around to. We all fell into a groove with each other over time, where we don’t really need to define what we’re gonna write before we do. We approach releases with general outlines (theme,length, format etc.), but when writing songs I’d say we aim for mean, earnest & impactful.
Adam: I think naturally all being into different types of musical backgrounds, our finished product ends up being a thing of its own, but we all have similar enough interests to where we end up with the result that we initially were trying to go for. I personally am really into trying to sound like the bands I am into. It doesn’t end up exactly that way which is good but I love when bands obsess over old school sounds/bands/records and try to make their contemporary music sound as authentic as possible whether it be tone or style or whatever. At the end of the day we are trying to sound pissed, like we worship the 80s and have our music sound anarchy as fuck!

Krang slaying Minneapolis : Photo by Adam DeGross

PE: What bands inspire you the most?
Austin: I listen to EVERYTHING. I don’t know where to begin but musically, keeping personal interest aside, I think we’re inspired by 80’s UK crust and a lot of Japanese stuff as far as writing collectively. This is something me and you will have to nerd out on when we’re in Boston next. Haha!
Adam: For Krang, bands that influence the writing process for me are Masskontroll, Deathraid, Sacrilege, Hellshock, Deviated Instinct, Sodom, Axegrinder and Amebix as well as Instinct of Survival. Personally I am all over the water but my all time 2 favorite punk bands have always and will always be Discharge and the Dead Boys.
Devan: I could go on a long rant about every band I’ve ever loved and how they’ve all stuck with and influence me to this day and blah blah blah, but I’ll spare you the cost of ink and just say Sacrilege, Crude, Amebix and Discharge. That said, we are quite the eclectic bunch.
Brendan: Musically, anything running the gamut from Paintbox to Elliot Smith. I enjoy a lot of soaring Japanese hardcore with that Burning Spirits feel, 90’s screamo, early black metal & hip hop. Any band that has a way with words gets me going, but mostly I enjoy music that you can’t help but feel.

Broken Waves EP

PE: What are most of your songs about? What inspires the lyrics?
Brendan: Lemme preface by saying that Discharge is rad & “The More I See…” could be the soundtrack to my daily tedium… but i think punk rock has much more potential than to rehash our dogmatic & oftentimes simplistic politics. Having been a few places where the punk scene eats itself inside out with depression, addiction, & apathy towards the struggles of those around us, I think its real important to allow ourselves to be more open in the way we express all of the things exploding in our minds. I am not blowing my own horn, or any horn for that matter, but I really enjoy taking the personal route when it comes to writing & am constantly attempting to better address the common threads that run through all of our lives. Our first wave of songs covered some of our political leanings in regards to vivisection, arms manufacturing, rape culture & the willful destruction of our Earth. The “Bog of Eternal Stenchcore” 7″ reflects on the weight of stagnation on the “politically motivated”. “Sounds of Death” is the result of an obsession with death and a years worth of hurt; friends making irreversible decisions in regards to their lives & some of us falling into those spirals ourselves. There is absolution in acceptance though & I think a glint of hope in such dark subject matter. Our upcoming 7″ deals with cycles of change in our lives, moments of mania & madness; a counterpoint to our last 7″. The songs we are writing & playing now are an extension of that, focusing on moments of change in our lives, wanderlust & really just form one big, loud, pissed love letter to the DIY community, punk rock & time spent on the road. Inspiration comes from any human I’ve met that has dared to be open, honest & shameless about it.
Devan: Passion in all its forms and extremities is what inspires us. Totally.

PE: You guys have done a few extensive tours. What’s your favorite city you guys haveplayed in? What’s your least favorite?
Austin: I love Boston. Detroit, New Orleans, and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis) are up there too. I don’t really have a least favorite. We have had some bad experiences, though. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and not mention them. Hopefully things will be better when we return.
Devan: New Orleans is my favorite city ever, and our most recent gig in Boston totally ruled. I’d have to say, though, that many of my favorite shows have been in non-major cities. Birmingham AL was awesome, Asheville NC, Cincinatti OH, Grand Rapids MI…basically anywhere with a really tight-knit but wide-ranging DIY scene in terms of age, music, spaces, projects, etc. It’s always super encouraging to see.
Brendan: I’ll echo the others in saying that NOLA, Asheville, Cincy, Birmingham, Boston & Baltimore all kick ass. I’m usually super appreciative of all the towns we’ve been lucky enough to play in, though of course we’ve played in towns that seemed to embrace the anti-PC attitude/sense of humor that I am so fucking sick of. Some cities are really 50/50 because you’ll either play an amazing show with bad-ass folks & have the time of your life, or you might end up wanting to eviscerate some fuckhead who only listens to GG Allin & doesn’t get why a confederate flag hanging at a show space might ruffle some feathers.
Austin: We as a band aren’t about making sure we are politically correct all the time, but we definitely are hellbent on showing one another respect and are willing to give respect back to those who are legit. No single city is bad. Like I said before, sometimes there are some bad experiences. Fuckheads are everywhere.
Adam: Yes, Cincinnati, Birmingham, Boston, but most of all NOLA and Minneapolis. New Orleans and Minneapolis…no other city can live up to the debauchery that is expected to happen when we arrive in these two places. We need a week of recovery after being in either place for just a day. Also I love playing Madison a lot. Fuck, I love touring. So many amazing friends are being missed right now as we speak.

PE: What are some of your favorite bands you guys have played with?
Lord Krang: Scum from Detroit, Appalachian Terror Unit, Antisect, In Defense, Nu-kle-ar Blast Suntan, Kontrasekt, Cognitive Dissonance, The Skuds, Coelacanth, WrathCobra, Wartorn, Negligence, In Ruins, and definitely D-Clone; but honestly, it’s great to play with anyone and everyone who aren’t assholes and give a shit about “punk rock”.

PE: What does the future hold for Krang?
Devan: As Austin mentioned earlier, we have our “Broken Waves” 7″ being released in June, at which point we’ll be doing a small tour with Coelacanth. Also, as previously stated, we are well along in the writing process for our next full-length LP. Look for us around the Mid-west this summer and keep up-to-date and get in touch via the following:
crustardpunx[AT]gmail.com – krangcrustards.bandcamp.com – krangcrustards.blogspot.com
Austin: More touring, more albums, more blood spit nights, more everything! We’ll do a more extensive tour when the new LP comes out.
Brendan: “Bad Moon” 12″ – Skull Fest – Split(s?) – Self-Destruction With A Gusto
Lord Krang: Record labels that are interested in helping us with our next 12″ (which is more than half way written) get in touch with us!!! It will be even more galloping, pist, and triumphant than our still available “Sounds of Death” 12″!

Profane Dayglo Youth

When Reagan Youth was asked to play Pouzza Fest in Montreal, we booked a four day tour of Ontario and Quebec with the Dayglo Abortions .The day before we left The States I was in Philadelphia staying with Tibbie and Nico. While packing I mentioned that flying overseas was quite an ordeal. Nico reminded me the flight was only for two hours and maybe went over one of the Great Lakes. The gravity of the tour set in right around that moment. I mean, passports meant overseas right?

This is a tale involving spiritual growth, better understanding the world in which we live, learning other’s customs, struggles and overcoming one’s self, the plight of the working class in a quasi-Socialist government, and anarcho peace punk muscle car rock n’ muthafuckin’ roll baby, all night long till the break of dawn…

Miss Babylon and I caught a bus, etc… you know the deal. We had a lot of loose ends to tie up and made the cab with two minutes to spare as a torrential downpour destroyed Louisville. We met a friend’s step-dad on the bus, slept, fell out, woke up, nearly missed every transfer… repeat… the usual business of hanging on by a thread. Cut to the city of Brotherhood and Sisterhood.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We had a day and a half till we split to NYC. and spent the evening at a show with half of the Gash crew throwing dice and giving out punk names to the sleepy kids of North Philly. The next day, Nico lent us the car while Tibbie rode separately with Hit to the gig at the Rock Shop. This was interesting ‘cuz the two people from the Midwest drove alone to NYC without a GPS or directions, looking for Brooklyn from the Turnpike.

New York City

We entered Manhattan from the George Washington Bridge, and as you may or may not know, is as far away as one could be from Brooklyn. I pulled over in uptown Queens, admired the set from Death Wish, trying to figure out where we were. The tunnel to Brooklyn was shut down and found the bridge instead. We made it to the gig and all in all, managed to avoid the thirteen dollar toll to get into lower Manhattan. This was a colossal success if you ask me.

We met on the sidewalk where Paul was wearing an incredibly clean Mets jersey given to him by a long lost family member who showed up at the gig to say hello. The jersey matched his new white guitar provided by Schecter as part of a sponsorship. Good signs, everywhere are signs. This would be my first gig with the band since February. Here goes nothing.

Jeremy and Dan showed up and blasted us with great photographs. As always Lake showed us more love than anyone. We opened with New Aryans and I did a leap off the stage and into the crowd the moment the song kicked in. This got things going immediately, per usual. Great show as always and being the day after Monday, we asked what was Johnny doing out on a Tuesday night…? Diggin’ that commie pinko Reagan Youth nonsense, that’s what.

The last memory of that Big Apple before leaving for Canada was appropriate. Babylon and I were driving towards the Jersey Turnpike as we take a scenic route to admire man’s attempt to grace the heavens – the skyscrapers of New York. Seven years ago I went to the city for the first time and left with a sore neck from gazing upwards. Once you see the city, no other compares. Cleveland is the size of downtown Brooklyn ya dig?? She was feeling the type of way I felt, absolutely blown away by the endless array of building after building. Thus is NYC.

Towards the Holland Tunnel we took a rest stop in a small, well lit park on a corner near the dock that host the boat rides to Governor’s Island. It appeared a reasonable place to pull over. Plus there were no other bathrooms in downtown at 2am. Moments later she came back. There was a man shooting up in one stall and a crippled man sleeping next to the other handcuffed to his wheelchair. We assumed he had once been robbed of his means of conveyance and this was a deterrent. We decided this was in fact, not a reasonable place to stop.

I love the city.

ONWARD TO CANADA aka ONTARIO HO!!!

The next day I was thrown into Nico’s car while still asleep and Tibbie and I were driven to the Newark Airport. I was changing clothes on the curb by the passenger drop off area when I looked up and saw a man looking at me. He was close enough to where we could communicate and he motioned to Tibbie and asked if she was Miley C. I said “yes of course”. Nico, Tibbie and I should be on Instagram for that one. We left for the terminal, met Paul and Stig, then caught a brief flight to Toronto.

So here is why going thru customs is like a hole in the head.

There are laws and methods in place to ensure people, (specifically people from the United States) do not enter Canada, make money, and then take it back home. We had the necessary documents saying we were in the country only to play one festival for free. Tibbie was in charge of said documents ‘cuz she is boss like that. Her and Paul go ahead to the same window. Stig and I follow when we were stopped and told one person at a time. Great, just great. Stig and I look at each other with dumb looks on our faces, then look at a woman in front of us getting reprimanded by two customs agents for lying on her work visa ‘cuz she applied as a visitor only to arrive as a laborer. Then Stig and I look back at each other with even dumber looks on our faces.

I was flossing while in line. While on tour one tends to change in airport terminals or, for example, floss in line while going thru customs. As I was called to the next available window the agent saw the floss as it hung from my mouth between two teeth. She told me I was disgusting, then said to wait while she went to get gloves before touching my documents. Fair enough. At the window I watched the same woman still trying to talk her way into the country to no avail. Then Paul called us to the window where him and Tibbie stood. We were then welcomed into the fine city of Toronto as I saw the agent, gloves in hand, look around for me with a dumb look on her face.

Toronto & Hamilton Ontario

We caught a cab to the city moments after landing, unsure what to really expect. I certainly did not expect the motel room to be built for three people and not four, having a twin bed and a half twin. Was this relevant to the metric system? Later that night the band dug Queen St. as we awaited to meet The Nasties and Dayglo Abortions the next day..

We walked all over the street trying to coordinate our pick up from Willie Jak, the bass player and Jim from The Nasties. We boarded a white van to be greeted by two of our road dogs and a box of merch they picked up for us. Our understanding of the situation in Canada was that we were to have had transportation provided by The Nasties in return for litres of gasoline. I fell asleep in the van and awoke in Hamilton, ON, the city on the hill that overlooked lake Ontario. We were dropped off and were reminded riot grrl, was indeed, not dead. Introducing Panty Christ. Jen was our gracious host as we awaited for the first gig to start.

Being morbid rockers from the States, we all wanted to buy cigarettes with diseased lungs on the pack. Before the gig, I visited a store to score a pack. Behind the counter were plastic shutters to cover up the cigarettes to avoid impulse buys or shopping with your eyes. I assume this was believed to decrease potential buyers. Nice try parliament, but this did not slow me down. Burnt throat and all we were picked up by Jim, our driver, and went to This Ain’t Hollywood as the drizzling rain began.

At the club, which was wood paneled inside, I tied a turban on my head and went inside and set up merch. We don’t know who ordered and paid for the shirts to this day. Who said socialist tendencies are a bad thing?? Here I met the rest of the bands we were touring with and chatted with the locals. I learned how the Central Canadians felt politically regarding Americans and their own situation in a global economy. It was a constant in all four cities that America’s influence on the west was regarding b the north not o much as animosity, but one of envy. “Big dogs on the block” was a term used. Great, and I thought I was getting weird looks because of the turban.

Dayglo Abortions are Canada’s longest running punk band, playing since 1979, and had never stopped. We were headlining in another country, which meant all eyes we on us. Played a good set to a cool crowd who attentively watched, but no slamming into each other or sing-a-longs. This always takes me aback ‘cuz I gotta do the whole set by myself. I then thought about that pack of smokes and the diseased lungs that were getting smashed in my pocket. Afterwards the band retired to Jen’s where we slept in Panty Christ’s practice room. The darkness and ringing in my ears made it easy to sleep.

Toronto, Ontario

We waited on Jim to arrive the next morning. He and the rest of The Nasties drove back to their hometown. It was hours away and in the same direction as Toronto to then drive back and pick us up. This made little sense but we went with it. After a two hour drive, we were dropped off in the heart of Toronto at this bougie ass hotel. We assumed the promoter put us up but we had no idea. Socialism at work yet again. It was a seventeenth floor suite with a balcony you could walk out on and see the tiny people and cars below. Stig and I smoked a cigarette, despite the dead organs on the pack. I admired the view while thinking “there’s no way this would fly in the States, too many people there jump outta fuckin’ windows” much less an open balcony.

We were having trouble getting a ride to the venue. Our driver seemed over it and we assumed the ridiculous hotel courtesy of an unknown benefactor did not help matters. I could see it lookind bad. A band staying in a bougie ass hotel they couldn’t afford, for free, but still needing a ride. We caught a cab to the venue. There was a line out the door. We went through the front entrance and greeted by a staircase. Upon climbing it we entered a shoulder to shoulder crowd. You can imagine our surprise when we were told we had to be onstage before we could set up the merch table. The second band out of five just finished their set, and we were headlining. Well, we thought we were headlining.

We had trouble locating our breakable equipment because no one wanted to help us find the van. So after we plugged in the guitars, there was a small slot to play our set. I don’t wanna say this was the best gig out of the tour, because that is up to opinion. However this was the largest and most enthusiastic crowd we had seen in Canada. I tied up the turban and took stage with the band all while being rushed along. The show was amazing. Truly one of the biggest, most professional Aerosmith-esque shows I had ever played. So you can imagine the shock we felt when halfway thru our set – the first and possibly the only time we would play Toronto – we were told we had run out of time.

Afterwards I met some Toronto punx and talked politics and hardcore music outside the club. I was asked why we basically opened the show when we were the top name on the physical ticket. Not to come off like Steve Tyler or anything, but we had never been to this city before and figured we would have had more than twenty minutes to play. We caught a cab back to that ridiculous bougie-ass hotel room and back to the seventeenth floor. I lingered around the dead streets of Toronto in the wee hours of the night, feeling as if I had accomplished something greater than I alone ever could, despite any expectations we may or may not have had.

London, Ontario

Paul spent the night out and Tibbie, Stig, and I awoke that morning to discover we were without a ride the to London, which was about four hours southwest. The hotel was insisting we checkout, which made sense checkout was hours ago. For whatever reason, and it doesn’t matter at this point as I’m sure we were becoming a burden, but no one wanted to help us with transportation as arranged. I went back asleep as Tibbie ensured Jim would pick us up. She made this tour happen I promise you that much is true. The ride to London was short for me, I fell asleep again due to frustration from the company and poor communication (or indifference). Also a chunk of money from the club’s payout was missing and we had no luck recovering it. Once in London we checked into a hotel of aviation decor and rested before we played the Under-Fucking-Rated Fest.

We arrived at the APK. I walked the streets instead of checking in the venue. I needed a break from the neon lights and amps. As I was fumbling with some loose Canadian bills with the Queen’s face looking at me when I noticed a man on a bike headed in my direction. As anticipated, he asked if I wanted anything. It was a broad question, but I told him “I don’t need to go to jail in another country”. Probably not the best answer but it seemed like a safe, nice city. “I’m not a cop” he said, as once again anticipated. I recalled a tip I heard once regarding oral hygiene and differentiating undercovers. I told him “you’re teeth are too straight, you gotta be a cop”. He looked frustrated as he rolled his eyes and quickly pedaled off. I assumed then and there that the rumor is in fact true.

The Under-Fucking-Rated Fest had us as the final band on the bill, which put us playing very-fucking-last. This meant most people went home drunk, it was too late, or simply few cared that we were playing. We played to a small, late night crowd. Loyal RY fans and drunk Canadian squatters (much cleaner than the crusties in the States) were left standing. We played the set on a small small stage, which meant a lot of floor action for me, took out a kid with the mic who kept yelling I wasn’t Dave Insurgent as he pushed me over and over… met some cool punx afterwards…drug out by Paul and Stig ‘cuz I was caught up in conversation with some cats after they loaded up and were waiting on me… then went to sleep… etc etc.

Pouzza Fest & Montreal, Quebec

The fest in Montreal that initially brought us up to Canada was a much longer drive than any of our flights from home. We overslept breakfast and almost our ride, as we slept more in the van where Jim drove us to a house somewhere none of us recognized. We awoke in a driveway were guided inside. We slept even more on the couches. This began a disaster of a journey to Pouzza in Montreal.

Hours later we were awoken and escorted into another van that was full of equipment we assumed was for us to use. I’m talking full drums and rigs. Our personal belongings and bags were left in the other van we thought we would be re-boarding. We got word along the way another box of merch was at the airport in Montreal. For whatever reason it was shipped there. I guess ‘cuz it was a neutral location, I dunno. We spent all of our money on gas driving to Montreal and more driving to and around the airport. We went into the terminal, where they directed us to a warehouse. The doors were unlocked, however it being Sunday, it was a ghost town. Paul, Tibbie, Stig, and I ran all over the long corridors until we gave up. Paul spotted another warehouse adjacent where we finally found a person behind the front desk. At this point we were so tired and any obstacle would have immediately derailed us. Then the man greeted us in French. Fuuuukkkk……

We all started saying four different ways in English we didn’t speak French. Then he began telling us in English that he was bilingual but had to greet us in French. Quebec custom and law. We happily signed for the box of merch. As we walked the hallway to the warehouse, I noticed there was a sign on the bathroom door that said “do not clean animals in sink”. Interesting.

We were dropped off at one of the many venues that held the fest, where we discovered the gear in the van was not ours to use. Another reason for the oil war in the Middle East! Our bags were somewhere in Jim’s van, and this was important since my meds and other personals were inside. I went to go find the van, I think, or decided to walk around, or both, right then and there. The town was very European, or at least in my idea of what constitutes as European. I ate some poutine like the tourist I was as I admired the city and it’s open usage of pot. Ha! I went back to the fest where we waited in the backstage area. Here I met my bag, meds, and some of the same faces I had seen along the way while in Canada. Turns out we weren’t the only ones who toured the country in search of Pouzza. We laughed and chatted till it was time to play.

I brought a top hat that was fashioned with the stars and stripes of the States. Mick Jagger wore one in the Gimmie Shelter movie. This wasn’t Altamont but then again the doorman did lift two buttons from the merch table as he walked by like it was nothing. I ran after him out of principle. Well security was fuked so we may have been headed in the right direction. I heard someone remark “That’s Montreal for ya”. What was that supposed to mean?? We took the stage to play the last show of the tour and the reason we were in Canada in the first place.

The A chord of New Aryans drug on until we got enough heads to look our direction. The crowd was too much. I kept getting lifted in the air as I played from the floor. We played most of our songs as we ran through the usual set. As we left the Montreal Punx chanted “Reagan Youth! Reagan Youth!” This had never happened to me before so we did what anyone would have done, played two more songs. We did a third song and I suppose a second encore and closed with “What Will The Neighbors Think?”. This was every song RY had played as a band. We then retired to a dorm. The students of whichever school it was were out for the Summer. I was out too as I fell asleep on the floor.

Back To The USA

Tibbie and Stig caught a cab as Paul and I caught trains as to save our money so we could pay rent when we got home. The main bus terminal downtown has swings in place of benches. One of the marvels of the modern world if you ask me. We caught three trains to arrive at the airport only to separate. The guitar case I packed as a suitcase was in shambles at this point. It seemed a better idea on paper I swear. We ended up all meeting at the same time in the terminal. Turns out the cab was cheaper than the trains. Finally the downfalls of Socialism!

We said our goodbyes. I left Canada and transferred in Motown to Louisville and returned to civilian life – always remembering I remain a soldier ‘cuz the war is not yet won.

“Peace, love, anarchy, unity, and ain’t it fun?? 2014”

This is what I recall and thought noteworthy while touring Central Canada.

Wanna blast me or the band online and the message boards are simply not enough??

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Up Profane Existence, Reagan Youth, Paul, Tibbie, Staten Island Greg aka Stig, Dayglo, The Nasties, Landon & Covert Booking, Nico, Su’z, the struggling masses, the new Republican Party that took root after Nixon was impeached, the haters (for keeping us relevant) and the lovers (for keeping us more relevant), and you. Why?? Because we love you!!